Canutillo High School student artists and the community celebrated the opening of ‘Inspire - Art as a Career’ with an exhibition reception Tuesday at the Galería Canutillo located in the Central Office of the Canutillo Independent School District.

Inspired by El Paso Artist, Hal Marcus after a private tour of his El Paso Museum of Art solo show, “Lyric Modern,” students of Canutillo High School decided to create their own exhibition. All works of art are appropriations of original art pieces selected from a variety of art publications. Under the guidance of teachers, this group of student artists created their own work of art.

"In order to get inspired, we need lots of energy so we can be passionate about our artwork,” Marcus said during the reception. “The students have done an amazing job with their art, and I commend everyone for their efforts."

A native-born El Pasoan, Hal Marcus has been painting for over 40 years and established the Hal Marcus Gallery in 1995. A driving force on the art scene, Mr. Marcus is an El Paso Artist Hall of Fame inductee, co-founder of the Early El Paso Art Collectors Organization, has served on the advisory board of the El Paso Museum of Art, and is consistently voted Best Artist by local media polls.